Wellington County OPP officials say emergency crews were called to the scene, on Wellington Road 21 west of Elora, on May 16 at about 8pm.Ěý

“Initial reports indicated that a trike-motorcycle and mini van had collided, and the operator of the motorcycle was injured,” police stated in a May 17 press release.

“The lone occupant of the trike, a 67-year-old from Kitchener, was airlifted to a trauma centre with non-life-threatening injuries.”

Police say the cause of the collision is under investigation and anyone with information can call 1-888-310-1122.

The post MotorcyclistĚýairlifted to hospital after crash appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

He was honoured with a full military funeral concluding with burial in Belsyde Cemetery on Oct. 5, 2007.

Following public and secondary school in Fergus, which included his involvement with the 1882 Wellington Rifle Army Cadet Corps, Lillie joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ěý

Over his distinguished career spanning more than two decades, he spent time on both Canadian coasts and a posting in Southeast Asia supporting the Afghanistan conflict.

Canadian military archives list Lillie as a casualty of the Afghanistan war and each year at the local Remembrance services, his name is read out, along with many other veterans, recognizing them for their service to country.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 275 Fergus has committed to recognizing Lillie with a memorial plaque placed in Dr. Norman Craig Park by the cenotaph.Ěý Ěý

The dedication service will be held on June 1 at 11am with members of the Lillie family present and unveiling the plaque. Ěý

Members of the public are welcome to attend.Ěý A reception and light lunch at the Legion will follow the dedication service. Ěý

In the event of poor weather conditions, the dedication will be held in the Legion Hall.

Branch 275 would like to give sincere thanks to Grand River Stone for donation of the base stone and to Fergus Memorials for donating time in transporting and expertise in placing the memorial.

The post Fergus Legion holding memorial dedication for Brent Lillie appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

FERGUS – Three years ago Cait Alexander was beaten and left for dead by her boyfriend.Ěý

Now she’s on a mission to change legislation around victims’ rights as opposed to the accused’s right to a speedy trial, and to have Ontario recognize intimate partner violence as an epidemic.

On July 21, 2021, Alexander’s then boyfriend beat her with a rolling pin for four and a half hours, among other acts of violence, until she was unconscious.Ěý

He then took her cellphone and left her to die.

Alexander was able to drag herself to her computer and send a message on WhatsApp.Ěý

“Please help,” was all she was able to type before she collapsed.

It was enough for some in her circle to notice and notify police, who sent a SWAT team to investigate. They found her alone in her Toronto apartment, unconscious in a pool of blood.

Her boyfriend was found and charged with eight offences – three federal and five provincial – and then released on $500 bail.

But because of court backlogs and laws guaranteeing the right to a speedy trial, his charges were stayed and he’s now out in society.

“He’s out free and hurting other people,” Alexander said in a phone interview.

Born in Guelph, Alexander lived in Fergus until she moved to Toronto at 17 to pursue an acting career.

She thought her boyfriend was wonderful until his little angry outbursts became more frequent, more violent and lasted longer.Ěý

She had borne the brunt of his violent outbursts before, but on that day in 2021, he was out of control like she’d never seen.Ěý

“I was begging for my life, and he wouldn’t stop,” she said. “He’d say he was sorry and then start doing it again. I was sure he was going to kill me.”Ěý

It took six months for Alexander to recover physically but the mental healing has taken much longer. In that time, she moved to L.A. to get away from him.Ěý

“I’ve been so angry and scared and traumatized,” she said, adding she underwent extensive therapy during the Screen Actors Guild strike since she couldn’t work.Ěý

Therapy has been a help, she said. And so has her advocacy work.Ěý

“If something good can come out of this, I’d like to see that,” she said.Ěý

Alexander has become vocal about her experience and the court system that failed her.Ěý

“There is no contest here about what happened,” she said of the evidence in her case.Ěý

“And this is not a policing problem. It’s the prosecutor, he dropped the ball – twice.”Ěý

Chapter 11B of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms entitles anyone charged with a crime the right to be heard in court within a reasonable time. If there is an “unreasonable delay,” an application can be made for a constitutional remedy.

Alexander said she reached out to the prosecutor and detective in 2022, reminding them the deadline was fast approaching.Ěý

“I was ignored,” she said. “They didn’t listen.”

The maximum time for provincial offences for serious crimes to go to trial is 18 months; for federal offences it’s 30 months.

It took more than two and a half years for Alexander’s abuser’s case to get to trial. And because of that the case was stayed, meaning the guilt or innocence of the accused is never proven in court.

Because of court backlogs, the number of stayed cases is growing.

“It’s essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Alexander said, adding her ex is now living free, without a record and without any consequence for his violence.

“I didn’t get my day in court. I have the right as a victim to a fair trial. But his rights took precedence, despite all the evidence and the witnesses,” she said.

Alexander returned to Toronto on April 10 to be at Queen’s Park when Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, was introduced in the Ontario legislature.

The Ontario Conservatives rejected the NDP bill in June 2023 saying intimate partner violence is not contagious in a medical sense and therefore cannot be declared an epidemic.

But on April 10 this year, the Conservatives said they would back the bill, although they sent it to the standing committee on justice policy for review and did not pass it that day.

“They surprised us,” Alexander said. “This is a complete turnaround.”

Recognizing intimate partner violence is an epidemic in Ontario is the first of 86 recommendations to come out of the Renfrew inquest.

The inquest looked at the 2015 murders of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuryk and Nathalie Warmerdam in Renfrew County.Ěý

All three were murdered by the same man on the same day. He’d had relationships with each of them and had previously been convicted of intimate partner violence with two of them.

The declaration is meaningful if the other recommendations are also followed, Alexander said.

“It means there are more channels to act quickly. It sets the tone and lays the groundwork.”

Cindy McMann, public educator at Women in Crisis Guelph-Wellington, said she hopes making the declaration means there will be further action.

“We definitely don’t need to study [intimate partner violence] more,” she said.Ěý

“We have decades of research, decades of survivor stories, decades of information from frontline organizations. We have an excellent idea of the dynamics of violence. We need to move the needle forward.”

And she doesn’t understand why any government would be reluctant to recognize intimate partner violence is an epidemic.

“Why be afraid to try to lower rates of violence?” McMann asked. “I don’t see a downside.”

The recommendations from the Renfrew inquiry are the roadmap and the first is to recognize intimate partner violence is an epidemic.

“It’s slow work and unfortunately it will be too slow for a lot of people,” McMann acknowledged. “But we need to start proactive programs instead of reacting when it’s too late.”

For her part, Alexander said she is gaining strength and purpose from her advocacy work, which helps to edge out the fear and anxiety that still remain.

“I couldn’t live with myself if something happens to someone else and I could have done something about it,” she said.

A declaration is also a call to action, she added.

“Pass the bill. It’s very simple. People’s lives are on the line this very day.

“And Chapter 11B of the Charter – that’s what needs to change. Because right now, people can get away with attempted murder.”

The post Survivor of intimate partner violence lobbies for change appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

With Erin now on board, all of the county’s seven municipalities have a uniform bylaw – requested by Wellington OPP, and drafted by SV Law.

Erin bylaw officer Martyna Sliwiak told 91´ó»ĆŃĽ in April the bylaw “allows for effective enforcement with provisions for addressing the needs of a growing community.”

The town’s previous iteration of a noise bylaw, which expired at the beginning of May, wasn’t sufficient, Sliwiak said.

The town was without teeth to enforce noise issues anywhere outside of residential-zoned areas.

Now, there’s an around-the-clock blanket prohibition on any noise Sliwiak or the OPP deem unreasonable.

The new bylaw has also introduced construction-specific noise prohibitions – a particular interest of 91´ó»ĆŃĽlors Bridget Ryan and Cathy Aylard, considering the town’s growth.

During last year’s county-wide consultations to draft the bylaw, Sliwiak suggested a clause to prohibit construction on Sundays.

But that would affect each municipality adopting the bylaw, and keep residents from building on their properties as well.

“And there’s no way of dividing the two, between mass development and someone putting up a deck?” Aylard asked last month.

“I did bring this forward, they (surrounding municipalities) don’t have the same issues as we do here currently,” Sliwiak said.

“We couldn’t put specific-to-the-town prohibitions because no other municipality was having these issues,” she explained.

What about changing the bylaw to suit the town’s needs, Ryan asked, but Sliwiak quashed the idea.

The OPP, as the primary response to noise violations in town, would refuse to enforce a town-specific bylaw, according to Sliwiak.

“As a consensus, and through SV Law consultation, this is what [SV Law] came up with as the best uniform bylaw for all municipalities,” Sliwiak said.

Trying to ease 91´ó»ĆŃĽlors’ concerns, she reiterated the new bylaw’s wide-reach – prohibiting any kind of disturbing noise anytime, anywhere.

If someone calls in a complaint, either she or an OPP officer, using personal judgment, can require whatever is causing the noise to be stopped.

According to Sliwiak, the bylaw provides “appropriate and reasonable expectations of all residents and businesses to ensure noise-related activities do not extend into unreasonable hours, affecting the right to peace and enjoyment.”

Though voluntary compliance is the goal, fines can be levied when people choose not to comply.

Fines increased from $125 across the board to between $400 and $800.

Noise offences now attract a fine of $400, not complying with a permit will cost $750, and obstructing an investigation rings in at $800.

Payments will typically go to the municipality, with the exception of “victim fine surcharges” and court fees, according to Sliwiak.

Mayor 91´ó»ĆŃĽ Dehn asked about the feasibility of getting an administrative monetary penalty system to handle municipal ticket processing and disputes in Erin, rather than the judicial system.

Council heard it can take years to get such a system implemented.

“I think we should revisit that sooner than later,” the mayor said.

Local exemptions to the new noise bylaw can still be obtained through the town, however 91´ó»ĆŃĽ is now bypassed in the process, with town clerk Nina Lecic reviewing and making the call on applications.

Bypassing 91´ó»ĆŃĽ is expected to streamline and expedite the permitting process, states a staff report.

According to the town, there have been 14 noise complaints between Jan. 1 and April 25.

Sliwiak did not answer questions from the Advertiser about whether those complaints were investigated by the town or police, or what the outcomes of the complaints were.

“All town complaints were investigated and/or followed up on,” she wrote in an email, providing the same response when asked the similar questions about 2023 complaints.

Other changes introduced in the new bylaw include:

• a specific list of exemptions;
• exemption application requirements;
• conditions to resolve permit non-compliance;
• administration, inspection and enforcement regulations;
• new provisions allowing for the expansion of noise sources with potential to
  adversely affect residents; and
• reasonable times for noise while allowing for enforcement and restrictions on
  unreasonable or excessive noise during permitted times.

Council unanimously voted to adopt the new bylaw, which took effect May 1.

The post New county-wide noise bylaw gives Erin teeth to enforce complaints appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

The proposal is for a two-storey high school that would connect with the existing one-storey elementary school.

There would also be 105 parking spaces and a soccer/football field on the site.

Last year Centre Wellington 91´ó»ĆŃĽ agreed with a request from the Wellington Catholic District School Board and declared the adjacent Strathallan Park surplus so the sale of land could move forward if the Ministry of Education agreed to fund a new school.

The Catholic board has said with growth occurring in Centre Wellington, it’s time for a high school in Centre Wellington.

Currently all Centre Wellington students who attend a Catholic elementary school go to Guelph for high school.

The meeting is slated for May 28 from 6:30 to 7:30pm in Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

There will be time for attendees to review posters and ask questions one-on-one with the project team, organizers say.

There will also be a more formal presentation with an opportunity to ask more questions and provide feedback to the project team.

The post Public meeting May 28 for proposed Catholic high school in Fergus appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.